Tupac Shakur

Introduction

Rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur, widely known by his stage names Makaveli and 2Pac, was born Lesane Parish Crooks on June 16, 1971, and passed away on September 13, 1996. He's recognized by many as one of the greatest successful and influential rappers of all time. Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling singers. Shakur's music has been recognized for addressing many of the modern economic and social problems that inner cities face.

Shakur was born in New York City into a family of Black Panther Party members and political activists. He moved to Baltimore in 1984 and the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988, where he was raised by his mother, Afeni Shakur. Due to the conscious rap lyrics on his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, which was released in 1991, he rose to prominence in West Coast hip hop. Shakur's follow-up albums, Me Against the World (1995) and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993), brought him more critical and commercial success. His first double-length album in hip-hop history, All Eyez on Me (1996), which was Diamond-certified, abandoned violent gangsta rap for his introspective lyrics. Shakur enjoyed great success as an actor in addition to music, landing major parts in films such as Gridlock'd (1997), Above the Rim (1994), Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), Bullet (1996), and Gang Related (1997).

Shakur faced legal issues, including jail time, and was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio in the latter years of his career. After being imprisoned for eleven months due to allegations of sexual abuse, Shakur was freed in 1995 while his conviction was appealed. He joined Death Row Records, the label owned by Marion "Suge" Knight, after being released from prison and got deeply entangled in the developing rivalry between East Coast and West Coast hip hop. Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, by an unidentified assailant; he passed away six days later. The Notorious B.I.G., who had been Shakur's friend before becoming his rival after his death, was also killed in a drive-by shooting six months later in March 1997 while on vacation in Los Angeles. Their public enmity made him a suspect at first.

Shakur's 1998 double-length posthumous album Greatest Hits is one of his two albums to receive a Diamond certification in the US, making it one of just nine hip-hop albums globally. After Shakur's passing, five more albums-including his highly regarded posthumous album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), which he recorded under the stage name Makaveli-have been published. All of these albums have received Platinum certification in the US. Shakur received an induction into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002. During his first year of eligibility, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Shakur was listed as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time by Rolling Stone. He received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

Personal Life

During his 1995 interview with Vibe magazine, Shakur mentioned Mickey Rourke, Treach, Jasmine Guy, and Jada Pinkett as among the people who were supporting him while he was imprisoned. Shakur described Madonna as a supportive friend. Afterward, Madonna admitted that they had dated in 1994.

Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett. In the 1993 film Menace II Society, Shakur helped Pinkett in getting her first movie role. Pinkett, in turn, was able to get Shakur a guest star appearance in the 1993 sitcom "A Different World." She had appearances in the "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Temptations" music videos. She was also the inspiration behind his "California Love" music video, which she had planned to direct until she was removed from the project. When Shakur was awaiting an appeal of his sexual abuse conviction in 1995, Pinkett paid $100,000 toward his bail. Later, Pinkett disclosed that in 1995, while he was imprisoned at Rikers Island, she declined his proposal of marriage. "Jada is my heart," Shakur said about Pinkett. I will always have her as a friend. Together, we will grow old. Jada is free to ask me to do whatever, and I will obey." "Shakur was one of my best friends," said Pinkett. He was like a brother. For us, it went beyond friendship. One in a lifetime opportunities to have a relationship like the one we had."

Shakur recovered at Jasmine Guy's house in 1994 after being shot. They had first connected in 1993 when he made a cameo appearance on the sitcom A Different World. Guy was featured in the music video for "Temptations" and went on to write the 2004 biography of his mother. Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary.

In 1990, Shakur made friends with Treach while they were both roadies on Public Enemy's tour. In 1992, he appeared in the music video "Uptown Anthem" by Naughty by Nature. Treach participated in Shakur's "Temptations" music video and co-wrote the song "5 Deadly Venomz" with him. Treach also spoke at a Shakur memorial service held in public in 1996.

During the 1994 filming of Bullet, Shakur and Mickey Rourke developed a close relationship. According to Rourke, Shakur "was there for me during some very hard times."

Other well-known people that Shakur was friends with were Jim Carrey, Alanis Morissette, Chuck D, Mike Tyson, and Chuck D. Shakur announced in April 1996 that he, Suge Knight, Snoop Dogg, and Morrissette planned to start a restaurant together.

Shakur wed his then-girlfriend, pre-law student Keisha Morris, on April 29, 1995. Ten months later, their marriage was annulled.

Record producer Quincy Jones was married to actress Peggy Lipton interracially, and Shakur criticized Jones for this in a 1993 interview that appeared in The Source. In response, Rashida Jones, their daughter, wrote an angry open letter. Afterward, Shakur expressed regret to Kidada Jones, her sister, with whom he had dated since 1996. Shakur and Jones went to Milan for Men's Fashion Week, where they walked the Versace runway together. When Shakur was shot, Jones was at their hotel in Las Vegas.

Early Life

Shakur was born in East Harlem, Upper Manhattan, New York City, on June 16, 1971. He was given the name Tupac Amaru Shakur at the age of one despite being born Lesane Parish Crooks. He was given the name Túpac Amaru II in honor of the last Incan emperor, who was put to death in Peru in 1781 following his failed uprising against Spanish domination. Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur, clarified, saying, "I wanted him to be known as one of the world's revolutionary, indigenous people. I wanted him to understand that he was more than just a local and that he belonged to a global culture."

Shakur has a two-year-old half-sister named Sekyiwa Shakur and an older stepbrother named Mopreme "Komani" Shakur.

Heritage of Panther

Shakur's actual father, William "Billy" Garland, and his mother, Afeni Shakur, were both active members of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Afeni Shakur was born Alice Faye Williams in North Carolina. Shakur's mother was put on trial in New York City one month before his birth as part of the Panther 21 investigation. More than 150 accusations were dropped against her.

Other family members, such as Shakur's stepfather Mutulu Shakur, who was listed as one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives for four years, were found guilty of serious offenses and imprisoned for their involvement in the Black Panthers' Black Liberation Army. After being captured in 1986, Mutulu Shakur was found guilty of robbing a Brinks armored truck in 1981, which resulted in the deaths of a guard and two police officers.

High-ranking Black Panther Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, who was Shakur's godfather, was found guilty of killing a schoolteacher in a 1968 heist. His conviction was reversed after he served 27 years in prison because the prosecution concealed evidence that would have proved his innocence.

Assata Shakur, the godmother of Tupac Shakur, was a Black Liberation Army member who was found guilty of killing a New Jersey State Trooper in the first degree and is currently wanted by the FBI.

Education of Tupac Shakur

The mother of Shakur suffered from drug addiction and had trouble finding any work in the 1980s. His family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1984 from New York City. After finishing the eighth grade at Roland Park Middle School, he went to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School for the ninth grade. In his tenth class, he moved to the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, ballet, poetry, and jazz. He played in the Nutcracker ballet as the Mouse King and in Shakespeare's plays, which depicted ageless issues, such as gang warfare, as he would recall.

After becoming friends with actress Jada Pinkett at the Baltimore School for the Arts, Shakur wrote poems about her. He was said to be the best rapper in school and won competitions with his friend Dana "Mouse" Smith beatboxing. He was also a funny guy who could get along with any crowd. He enjoyed listening to a wide variety of music, such as U2, Kate Bush, Culture Club, and Sinéad O'Connor.

After Shakur joined the Baltimore Young Communist League USA, he began dating Mary Baldridge, the daughter of the Communist Party USA chapter director in the locality. It was said of White Baldridge that she was a pretty young woman who was brought up to see beyond race.

Shakur relocated to Marin City, California, an impoverished area in the San Francisco Bay Area, in 1988. He went to Tamalpais High School in adjacent Mill Valley, where he participated in a number of theater plays. Shakur eventually obtained his GED despite never having completed his high school education.

Career in Films

Shakur made his cinematic debut in the 1991 picture Nothing but Trouble, where he had a cameo with the Digital Underground. He was the lead actor in the 1992 movie Juice, in which he portrayed the haunting and aggressive Roland Bishop. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone refers to him as "the most magnetic figure in the film."

Shakur costarred with Janet Jackson in John Singleton's romantic comedy film 'Poetic Justice' in 1993. After Shakur's arrest, Singleton fired him from the 1995 movie Higher Learning because the studio refused to fund it. Singleton originally had Shakur in mind for the lead role in the eventual 2001 film Baby Boy, which Tyrese Gibson eventually played. Shakur's song "Hail Mary" is used in the film's soundtrack, and the protagonist's bedroom is featured in a set design that features a mural of Shakur.

For the 1993 movie Menace II Society, director Allen Hughes wanted Shakur to play Sharif, but after Shakur attacked him on set after a script dispute, Hughes replaced Shakur. However, Hughes stated in 2013 that Shakur would have been better than the other actors "because he was bigger than the movie."

In the 1994 movie Above the Rim, Shakur portrayed a criminal named Birdie. Rapper and manager Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant, a former New York drug dealer, was said to be the inspiration for that character. He was introduced to Shakur at a nightclub in Queens. B.I.G. allegedly warned Shakur to stay away from him, but he disregarded the advice. Shakur got to know James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, a heroin dealer and music manager, through Haitian Jack.

Three further movies featuring Shakur were released shortly after his death: Gang Related (1997), Bullet (1996), and Gridlock'd (1997).

Posthumous Albums

Under the stage name Makaveli, he had completed his fifth and final solo album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, at the time of his death. It was released in August 1996 after being recorded in less than a week. It took three days to write and record the lyrics, then four more days to mix them. In 2005, MTV.com named The 7 Day Theory as the ninth-best hip-hop album of all time, and it became a legendary album by 2006. Many fans can relate to its unique poignancy, which is expressed through anger and hurt, introspection and hatred.

The record was intended to be "underground" and not released prior to the artist's murder, according to George "Papa G" Pryce, the director of public relations for Death Row Records at the time. The album achieved the second-highest debut-week sales total of any album that year, peaking at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list, respectively. It received a 4× Multi-Platinum certification on June 15, 1999.

Death

Shakur was in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 7, 1996, to celebrate the birthday of his business associate Tracy Danielle Robinson. He also went to the MGM Grand to see Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson, a boxing event that Suge Knight was attending. One of Knight's colleagues later saw Southside Compton Crip Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson in the lobby and informed Shakur that Anderson had attempted to rob them earlier in the year. The attack on Anderson is captured on camera by the hotel's surveillance system.

Shakur soon visited his hotel room before driving in a larger convoy with Knight to his Death Row nightclub, Club 662, in a black BMW 750iL sedan.

The car was stopped by police riding on bicycles for having loud music and missing license plates at around 11 p.m. on Las Vegas Boulevard. After the plates were found in the trunk, the vehicle was released and left. During a stop light at around 11:15 p.m., a white, four-door, late-model Cadillac car entered the passenger side, and a person inside the vehicle fired quickly. Shakur was shot twice in the chest, once in the thigh, once in the arm, and once in the right lung. The shards hit Knight's head. Shakur's bodyguard, Frank Alexander, wasn't in the vehicle when it happened. He would claim he was given the responsibility of operating Shakur's girlfriend Kidada Jones' car.

Shakur was brought to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he was put on life support and was heavily sedated. Shakur passed away from internal bleeding on September 13, 1996, in the afternoon in the intensive care unit. At 4:03 PM, he was pronounced dead. The official causes of death are numerous gunshot wounds along with cardiopulmonary arrest and respiratory failure. The following day, Shakur's body was cremated. Recalling a phrase from his song "Black Jesus," the Outlawz members took the request seriously. They smoked some of the ashes after combining them with marijuana, even though they weren't sure if the artist was trying to take it literally.

Chuck Philips, an investigative journalist, reported in the Los Angeles Times in 2002 that Anderson, a Southside Compton Crip, had fired the fatal gunshots following the boxing match at the MGM Hotel after being attacked by Suge and Shakur's entourage. However, after a year of work, Anderson was only briefly interviewed by Las Vegas police before he was killed in an unrelated shooting. According to Philips's 2002 article, a number of people in New York City's criminal underworld, including Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, are possibly involved. Anderson and Wallace both denied any involvement, and Wallace provided a verified alibi. The evidence was described as "inconclusive" by music journalist John Leland in The New York Times.

The FBI classified the Jewish Defense League as "a right-wing terrorist group" and used the Freedom of Information Act to release investigation-related documents in 2011. These documents included threats of death against Shakur and other rappers, but they did not provide any evidence of a direct link to his murder.

In relation to Shakur's murder, the Las Vegas Police Department executed a search warrant on July 18, 2023.

The Associated Press stated on September 29, 2023, that Duane "Keefe D" Davis, a suspect in Shakur's murder, had been taken into custody by Las Vegas police. At his wife's residence in the Henderson, Nevada, suburb of Las Vegas, police had executed a search warrant two months prior. In Las Vegas on November 2, 2023, Davis filed a not-guilty plea.